Traditional style soft pathiri and spicy chicken perratu

This is traditional Kerala dish that is common in the Muslim functions. Try it out.

Ari Pathiri Recipe

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients: 

• Pathiri Podi /Roasted Rice flour: 2 cups (double horse or niraparra are the rusted Indian brands if you can get pathiri podi/powder that will be the best or you can roasted rice flour)
• Water: 2 cups
• Salt to taste
• How to make:
  
  Sieve the roasted rice powder/pathiri podi using a fine mesh.
• Boil the water in a wok or heavy bottom pan. Add salt and simmer. 
• Add slowly the roasted rice powder /pathiri podi and  stir continuously over low heat. (Note: Ensure that you have stirred the dough evenly when on flame and make sure it doesn’t get burnt to the bottom of the pan.)
• Cover this and keep on a slow fire for 10 seconds. Switch off the stove. 
• As the dough will be very hot at this point, knead the dough with metal spoon. Let it reach a warm condition.
• You have to knead the dough when it is warm. Knead the dough thoroughly using both hands for about 5 minutes without adding any more water till the dough comes together with a uniform smooth surface and is no longer sticky. (Note: Kneading the dough has to be done thoroughly and at one single stretch. This is the most important part.The key to soft pathiri is to keep kneading until the dough is less sticky and could be divided into small balls, don’t add water or rice powder again. If needed, wet hands or apply a little coconut oil on palms. Any water or any flour added at this point will change the texture of the pathiri.)
• Roll into small lemon sized balls. Press it between palms. 
• Dust the rolling board and rolling pin using the same rice powder used for making pathiri dough.
• Roll the flattened balls using the chapathi press or chapathi roller until you get thin round roti/pathiri. 
• Keep a tawa on medium flame and heat it. (Note: Low flame and extra high flame will not make pathiris good and will end up in crispy pathiris.)
• Keep the pathiri on it, rotating in between, you can see the steam passes through it within few seconds and when the pathiri starts bubbling turn it upside down. 
• Slightly press it using the back side of a spoon, this will help it to rise up as one single bubble. This way the pathiri will be so soft, wait for another 30 seconds so that even this side is done well and remove from the tawa. (Note: The pathiri shouldn’t be brown it should remain white. After one pathiri is done, and before putting the next pathiri, clean the brown powder on the thava with a dry cloth.)
• Serve pathiri with chicken curry, mutton curry, egg curry or with any curry of your choice.
• Optionally these pathiri can be dunk into coconut milk for few minutes before serving and Enjoy!

READ ALSO: Easy Kerala style Onion Uthappam Recipe

Chicken Perattu Recipe

Chicken Perattu or locally known as Kozhi Pirattu is a traditional chicken recipe of Kerala with very limited ingredients and it is very easy to make. It is also called as nadan chicken perattu since it is prepared with nadan (local) flavours.

In Kerala, the taste and flavours change from place to place.

Ingredients: 

• Chicken- 1.3 kg
• Small Onion/ Pearl Onion- 20 nos
• Green chillies-3
• Ginger-2 inches
• Garlic- 8 big
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
• Chilli powder- 2 tablespoon
• Coriander powder- 2 tablespoon
• Garam masala powder- 1 teaspoon
• Fennel powder- 3/4 teaspoon
• Pepper- 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt- to taste
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
• Curry leaves-3 strand
• Large onion-1(1 cup)
• Refined oil-2 tablespoons (Use coconut oil for more flavour)
• Coconut oil- 2 teaspoon (optional to drizzle at final stage)

How to make:

• Remove the skin from the chicken and clean the chicken; cut them into small to medium sized pieces.
• Roughly chop a small onion, green chillies, ginger and garlic; grind as a coarse paste in a blender jar or crush them in a pestle and mortar.
• Add this to the cleaned chicken then add salt; add the masala powders such as turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder; an add1/2 teaspoon of garam masala and 1/4 teaspoon of fennel powder. Remaining garam masala powder and fennel powder we will add at the final stage to lift the flavours.
• Mix well with hand to evenly mix and set aside to marinate for 15-30 minutes.
• In a pan directly add the chicken and add 1/4 cup of water and close with a lid and cook till soft.
• In another pan heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds and add the curry leaves. Now add one chopped large onion and fry till golden brown in that oil. Add the cooked chicken masala and mix well.
• Now increase the flame and allow to dry the chicken masala. Check for salt, sprinkle the remaining garam masala 1/2 teaspoon and fennel powder 1/2 teaspoon and mix well. If you wish drizzle coconut oil on top while the masala gets dried up.